Storing Manuals

smyrnaboy93

Member
Joined
May 27, 2018
Messages
9
Hi All,

As my Festool collection increases, so does my manual inventory.  As Festool manuals are all the same size, does Festool make any sort of notebook to keep them in?  Or has anyone come up with a way to neatly and conveniently store them?

Thanks a bunch.
 
I've tried several binder, file folder, and other storage solutions for tool manuals. None worked well for me.

I now download the PDF versions of the manul and store them on my PC and in the "cloud" for remote access. The copies on the PC are stored with a PDF of the purchase receipt in case it should be needed for warranty purposes.

With the manuals in the "cloud" they are always available. Just pull out the cellphone.
 
I have stored all my manuals , Festool and others, in a two drawer file cabinet for years. I never really use any of them. It is probably less than once every three years that I have pulled a manual out. And that is usually to put it with a tool that I am selling. So pretty soon , for the need of shop space, the file cabinet is going away and the manuals are going into a box.

Seth
 
I put all of my Festool manuals underneath the plastic insert inside the Systainer. That way they are always with the tool, but aren't in the way when you are pulling your tools out of the systainer or putting them back in.
 
We don't currently make anything like that, but it's an interesting idea. It's nice to see ideas from other members of what they do.

(Tyler)
 
I think an insert for a Systainer would be a great idea. It sounds like something that Peter Parfitt might have done already. Or did he make a insert for storing hand tools.

Maybe I'm confusing with something someone did for storing sheets of sandpaper a while back.
 
Hi,

4 drawer file cabinet it is. Along with receipts, warranty registration ... Everything tool/DIY/home improvement/mayor appliances related goes in there. Manuals, charts, drawings, documentation of all sorts ...

Since most European toolmakers use the DIN A 5 format (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size ) for their manuals, it's 2 manuals, including folded receipt, folded warranty registration and additional paper work per folder. Each folder labeled obviously ...

Kind regards,
Oliver
 
Thanks for the reminder, this was also something I've been meaning to do. This came about after seeing video by Paul Marcel - he mentions a case he uses via Lee Valley (no longer available)

A quick search yielded these:
Ebay - 4 pack
Amazon - 3 pack
or
Clip board case

They're pricey but nothing has held up the way ReallyUsefulBoxes have. I'd bring a manual or two with you to Office Depot to see what fits. They go on sale occasionally (typically the pink and purple variety) but when I see them I snag a few.

 
The original manuals are kept with the tools in the systainers. When a tool is sold, I know I don't need to look for its manual.

Since I use my tools regularly, I seldom refer to them at all.
 
3rd vote for underneath the Systainer insert. You never have to look for them yet they’re out of the way. The Supplemental manuals are another thing though.
 
dupe said:
Thanks for the reminder, this was also something I've been meaning to do. This came about after seeing video by Paul Marcel - he mentions a case he uses via Lee Valley (no longer available)

A quick search yielded these:
Ebay - 4 pack
Amazon - 3 pack
or
Clip board case

They're pricey but nothing has held up the way ReallyUsefulBoxes have. I'd bring a manual or two with you to Office Depot to see what fits. They go on sale occasionally (typically the pink and purple variety) but when I see them I snag a few.

These work very well.
 
I grabbed the PDF, discarded the useless stuff (so they usually end up with only 2-3 pages) and put them on my phone.
 
[member=53905]Gregor[/member] perfect answer. 😀

I’ve got the manual for every machine I use on my phone. Even my 1968 Powermatic PM66 and my 1963 drill press.

Ron
 
James Biddle said:
Where does everyone that stores the manual in the Systainer store the Kapex manual?

My Kapex is mounted on a mobile cabinet, and the manual goes into it, along with other accessories, like the hold-down clamp, ear plugs, etc.
 
I have a cheap, lidded, plastic file bin that holds most of my older tool manuals.  Since I started my Festaddiction, I now keep most manuals in the systainers.  I just recently went through my bin and discarded manuals for tools that I no longer have.  For example I found the manual for my 14v Freud drill driver.  This was a great tool until Freud they were NAINA.
 
The Festool manuals fit in a Systainer Mini.  I have one full and a second one snapped to it for overflow.

 
The Festool manuals are DIN A5 (Deutsche Industrie Norm, but it is an ISO, so used in a lot of countries). In the back cover there are folds and pre-punched holes, that when applied form a lip. Those holes conform to another norm (Leitz 80 mm) for binders. Most binders available in Europe are for A4 (double the size of A5), with two rings, but A5-ones have been around, although they seem to be hard to find nowadays. You could modify an A4 model tot fit the manuals. Or use as is.

BTW — I download digital versions of the manuals I need, edit them to remove non-needed languages, copy to the cloud (Dropbox) and have them available on an older iPad I use in my shop. The paper ones I throw in a cupboard : )
 
[member=560]James Biddle[/member]

James Biddle said:
Where does everyone that stores the manual in the Systainer store the Kapex manual?

I store all the manuals under their respective inserts and for the Kapex i have it in a Sys 3 that holds all the un-used plug-it cords.
 
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